Dubai Is Building a Floating Miniature Replica of Venice

Dubai may be known for modern, soaring skyscrapers and eccentric innovations—we're talking drone taxis here—but its newest project aims to bring in some old world Italian flair. By 2020, a miniature version of Venice will be floating 2.5 miles off the city's coast. Complete with 12 restaurants, an underwater spa, and gondolas imported straight from the famous Italian city, the resort claims to be the world's "first five-star floating destination."

Overseen by Dubai developer Cityscape Global, The Floating Venice, as it's been dubbed, will be able to accommodate up to 3,000 guests daily. In true Dubai fashion, visitors will have to travel by seaplane, boat, or helicopter in order to reach the resort. Upon arrival, they'll check in at the underwater lobby before being transported to one of the mini-city's 414 cabins—and 180 of those cabins, along with the hotel's spa, restaurants, and bars, will be submerged, offering an immersive view of the Arabian Sea. Of course, it's no ordinary ocean view: The on-site coral nursery, with over 400,000 square feet of coral and marine life, will be the focal point of the subterranean rooms. More claustrophobic guests will be able to come up for air at one of the complex's 12 floating beaches, and sample Venetian delicacies as they tan.

In keeping with the project's ode to Venetian tradition, visitors will also be able to participate in some of Venice's popular festivals. The Carnevale di Venezia—Italy's famed festival of masks—will be celebrated, along with the Regata Stoica di Venezia and the Festa del Redentore. Even operas will be performed on-site at the resort.

The extravagant hotel isn't the first replica of its kind. China unveiled plans to remake Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford-Upon-Avon late last year, with Tudor streets and a winding Avon River. And Titanic fans will be able to flock to a full-scale replica of the famous ship in Sichuan (80 miles from the provincial capital of Chengdu) once the project is complete, "iceberg experience" and all.

If you're looking to see Venice, well, somewhere other than Venice, this floating resort begins construction in 2018, so start planning your trip soon. But Dubai's unique offerings don't end there—turns out you can even ski in the Gulf Coast city.